"Daydream Nation" centers on a disaffected high school senior (Dennings) who finds herself stuck with her widowed father in a desolate Canadian hamlet. Shortly thereafter, she embarks on an affair with a teacher (Lucas) and falls in love with a druggie teen (potentially Kieran Culkin who, like Panettiere, had been signed to the film since 2008). It sounds kind of like what "Twilight" would be if it were a song written by Sting.

Dennings deserves a star vehicle. Even as a guest star on "Sex in the City" as a bat mitzvah brat, she's been memorable and compelling. We look forward to seeing her at the center of the action, especially without Michael Cera's awkwardness overshadowing her.